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“I’ve packed you a few things for your trip,” she says, releasing my hands and heading to the counter where a bag is sitting.
Accepting the bag, I open and inspect its contents. She has packed me a variety of fruit, dried meats, nuts, and bread, as well as a canister of water. Again with her thoughtfulness. A prick jabs at my heart.
“Thank you for this, Amelia. Thank you for everything,” I say, bringing my gaze back to hers, feeling tears forming in them anew.
Her eyes reflect mine as we both try to hold back. She gives me a little nod, and we take deep breaths to push the emotions down.
Checking the common space for any missed items, I put my boots back on and head to the door. Giving Amelia one last hug, I squeeze her as tightly as I can, and she returns the gesture.
“I will write as soon as I get settled, I promise,” I say before releasing her.
“I know you will. Or I will come to hunt you down in Fati,” she says with a wink.
A part of me doesn’t doubt she would do just that. We both smile at the sentiment, and I leave Amelia’s for the last time.
I walk the cobblestone path out of the village, winding my way back past the small homes just inside the boundary wall. The air is warming with the rising sun, and I can tell it is going to be another hot summer day in Omnia. I’m ready for autumn and its refreshing cool days. The smell of wood burning is fresh in the air as the villagers wake and start to make their meals.
I spy the guards at the gate, and I’m thankful Jonathan is not among them. Two guards I have not seen before are there, and I breathe a sigh of relief as I walk by.
The portal of Lux is a short walk down a gravel path away from the wall. After each god claimed their own kingdom, they gifted the land with portals to allow their people to travel. Each portal is different and correlates with the land it is tied to. There are two portals for each kingdom, one above and one below in Fati. The portals always look identical and appear as mirror images.
For Lux, both portals are made of gray stone, like the rest of the kingdom that matches the mountains. The stones are stacked atop one another, forming a full circle. All a traveler must do is pay the toll and step through to go between the lands of Fati and the kingdom above.
The guards managing the portals today are in foul moods—rushing people in and out without concern for their safety. It is a chaotic scene, everyone pushing and shoving to comply with the demanding guards. I shuffle through the crowd when I spot an elderly woman losing her footing, falling to the gravel below. She hits the ground hard, and I see her face twist in pain.
I rush to help her, but I’m blocked by one of the angry guards.
“Get up, you stupid woman! You’re blocking the way!” he shouts at her but doesn’t help.
She struggles to get her feet under her on the loose gravel. Blood from scratches trickles down her arms and legs.
“Are you going to help her up or stand there and be useless?” I say to the guard, matching his tone.
Anger flares through me at the lack of moral decency. The darkness within me circles the enclosed well at my core, wanting to teach this pathetic man a lesson.
He turns to look for the mortal who dares to speak to him that way as I come up behind him. I recognize him as one of the two other guards from last night. One I never got the name of, but also wouldn’t remember if I had. He flinches at the sight of me and looks around as if Theo is with me.
“Well, which is it?” I spit the words at the incompetent guard who just stares at me, trying to look intimidating, but he must be too worried his captain is going to hurt him as he did Jonathan.
I clench my fists at my side, fighting the urge to punch him.
Instead, I shove past him and help the poor woman to her feet. She’s unsteady as we walk away, and I help her toward the portal. All the while, the guard stares at me with rage contorting his face.
They don’t like viators in Lux, but they know they’re the ones doing the work their villagers deem beneath them. They need viators, otherwise their kingdom would crumble. Each piece of the pattern must fit perfectly, or it all comes crashing down. Viators are one of those pieces, whether or not the other kingdoms like it.
The woman thanks me graciously for coming to her rescue. It’s nice to be the hero for once. My nature has always been to help others, but that has been suppressed for so long that I have grown accustomed to the darkness. I know who I’ve become and whom I’m tethered to. My soul forever tarnished by the horrors I’ve been forced to inflict.
I pay the hefty crossing fee and step through the portal to emerge on the other side in Fati. I look up at Lux hovering in the sky above my head. My eyes trace the columns of stone tethering Lux to Fati. Umbra and Terra each have similar columns tying them to the land below.
Goodbye, Theo.
I can only hope that, with distance, the heartache will ease slightly, and maybe by the time I am back in Umbra, it will be a dull ache versus the sharp one I feel now.
I follow the crowd of viators down the gravel path and further into Fati. This forgotten land is so different from the other kingdoms. The harsh terrain has massive plateaus that jut up toward the sky, large enough to be new kingdoms of their own. The land was left to waste after their god died and took their power with them.
Small family farms scatter the land near the portal, with vineyards spreading out beneath Lux. Far in the distance, the tall, green stalks of corn with their golden yellow tassels sway in the breeze.
I make it to the farm that holds my horse and supplies. The same gentleman I met when I arrived, the owner, greets me with a nod. He offers no pleasantries, and his face is all business.
